the meaning of any word depends on two things: who is saying it, and who is listening

sophisticated machinery with a dumb interface is a waste of time

a worn, poorly fitted, or badly adjusted tool does a bad job

if you make a mistake doing a job you're good at, that means it's time for a coffee break

efficiency is beauty

do something until it's not fun anymore -- and then do something else

at the bottom of every can of worms is a carcass, awaiting a full and decent burial

take a friend whenever you are negotiating anything

before important negotations, think through the likely positions the other parties will take, your responses to those positions, and their likely responses to your responses - like chess - think ahead and anticipate gameplay

if negotiating with a dunce, keep it simple

when someone says "I can't ...", they usually mean, "I can't be bothered to ..."

refuse to be goaded; your negative energy will be used against you

when the other party shows signs of stress, show negating signs of release

"say nothing about it, do nothing about it" is a valid course of action; the information vacuum this creates can be very powerful

trust your nose - if it smells bad, it probably is

the best revenge is a happy life

love does not use violence - ever - and only rarely intervenes

run your work past someone else before you do much with it

the road to enlightenment is paved with dead ideologies

one man's genius is another man's fool

for every critic, there is a fan

leopards can change their spots - but it can take a very long time

it's OK to end an odyssey without completing it - some things are better off over with, while other things never end

some tunes aren't writ for playin'

a prepared surface is a labour halved

the numbers are like the seas - ignore them at your peril

make hay while the sun shines (and work on something else when it doesn't)

ideal solutions are almost never implemented

it may be wrong to expect, but it is reasonable to wish

it's difficult to be certain about much

in the end, it's not the disaster, it's the management of the disaster that counts

you can always lose another 10%

just as the strength of a chain is limited to the strength of its weakest link, so too is the capacity of a channel limited to the capacity of its narrowest point

a large percentage of a small number is still a small number; a small percentage of a large number is still a large number

don't waste time with people you don't like - they probably don't like you either

work in a field that is synergistic with your interests

employment: learn while working for less, and save while learning little

you do not need to like the people you do business with - but it's nice

lack of organisation on their part does not constitute a state of emergency on mine

invest on credit; save for expenses

only bet on a sure thing

denial is a path well-worn by vested interests

when today is goodbye, tomorrow is hello - but it's never quite the same

it's a bad sign when the contractor starts swearing

never lend anything to a selfish person, and think extremely carefully before lending anything irreplaceable to anyone; but otherwise, lend everything to everyone, making copies if necessary